In general terms, this application deals with improvements to automatic fluid flow control devices of the general type described in our earlier UK Patent GB2428800, and reference should be made to our earlier patent for a detailed description of the manner in which devices of this type operate.
Our previous UK patent GB2428800, the entire contents of which are also incorporated herein by reference, disclosed an automatic fluid flow control device in which an actuator and a valve magnetically interact to control the flow of fluid to an appliance such as, for example, a bathtub or sink.
Whilst the device disclosed in our prior patent operates flawlessly and has been extremely well received in the marketplace, our programme for continuous improvement has identified facets of that device which could be further improved.
For example, it is known that some bath users like to use products known colloquially as “bath bombs” which dissolve in the bath to scent and/or colour the water. Some of these bath bombs include solid matter such as flower petals, leaves or confetti as well as perfume and essential oils, and as this solid matter tends to float on the surface of the water in a bath it can be drawn, in the event of an overflow, inside a fluid flow control device of the type we have previously proposed.
We had anticipated that this might occur, and had included in our previously proposed device a “gunge plug” that could be removed by a user so that they could insert a finger into the body of the device and sweep out any detritus that had accumulated in it.
Whilst this arrangement functions well it does rely upon users of “bath bomb” type products whose baths have overflowed cleaning out their overflow control devices, and whilst we have found that domestic users of our devices do tend to do this it is the case that in a commercial environment such as a hotel guests tend not to know that our device is installed, and even if they do know tend not take the time to clean out any detritus that may have accumulated in the device following an overflow of a bath in which they have used a “bath bomb” type product.
In such circumstance a build-up of detritus in the device may occur, and that detritus may inhibit the device from functioning properly in the event that an overflow should subsequently occur.
The present invention has been devised with the foregoing in mind.